Shloka 35
Yama’s Journey to Brahmaloka
Ekadashi–Dvadashi Mahatmya in the Rukmangada Cycle
सोऽहं काष्टमृगेणैव तुल्यो जातो महामुने । नेत्रहीनः कर्णहीनः संध्याहीनो द्विजो यथा ॥ ३५ ॥
so'haṃ kāṣṭamṛgeṇaiva tulyo jāto mahāmune | netrahīnaḥ karṇahīnaḥ saṃdhyāhīno dvijo yathā || 35 ||
ହେ ମହାମୁନି! ମୁଁ କାଠର ମୃଗ ପରି ହୋଇଗଲି—ଯେନେ ନେତ୍ରହୀନ ଓ କର୍ଣ୍ଣହୀନ; ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟାକର୍ମ ହୀନ ଦ୍ୱିଜ ଯେପରି।
Narrative voice within a didactic dialogue (attributed in this section to Narada’s instructive discourse to a great sage)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"karuna","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_journey":"A lament of spiritual deprivation (‘wooden deer’, blind and deaf) culminates in a sober ethical warning: a dvija without Sandhyā is as good as senseless."}
FAQs
It equates the neglect of Sandhyā (daily twilight worship) with spiritual numbness: the dvija becomes like a lifeless wooden figure—unable to truly “see” dharma or “hear” sacred instruction.
Bhakti is sustained by daily purity and remembrance; Sandhyā functions as a regular re-orientation of mind toward the Divine. Without it, devotion becomes inert and mechanical, like a wooden deer.
Kalpa (ritual discipline) is implied: Sandhyā as a nitya-karma for the dvija. The verse stresses the practical necessity of correctly maintaining obligatory rites rather than abandoning them.